COP28: UAE Leverages Climate Talks to Facilitate Oil Deals

According to leaked documents obtained by the BBC, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) planned to use its role as the host of the upcoming UN climate talks, known as COP28, to strike oil and gas deals with 15 nations. The documents prepared by the UAE's COP28 team for meetings with foreign governments reveal plans to discuss fossil fuel deals during the summit. The UAE team did not deny using the COP28 meetings for business talks, stating that "private meetings are private". However, they declined to comment on the content of these meetings, emphasizing that their focus has been on "meaningful climate action". The leaked documents also show that the UAE prepared talking points for its state renewable energy company, Masdar, on commercial opportunities in meetings with 20 countries. COP28 is a crucial global climate conference, aimed at limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C. However, the UAE's attempts to pursue fossil fuel business deals during the summit have raised concerns about impartiality and conflicts of interest. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the body that oversees the climate negotiations, expects COP presidents to act without bias or self-interest. As the host nation of COP28, the UAE's actions in seeking commercial deals appear to be in violation of these standards. The leaked documents also suggest that some of the proposed projects discussed during the meetings involve new oil and gas developments, contradicting the goal of reducing global emissions. While the UAE's COP28 team asserts its independence from the UAE's state oil company, Adnoc, and renewable energy company, Masdar, concerns remain about the potential influence of these entities on the climate talks. The success of the UAE's leadership and the COP28 president will ultimately be judged by the outcomes achieved at the summit. COP28 is set to conclude on December 12.